Therapeutic apparatus



J. LEE.

THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. l9l9.

1 ,3 1,711,002 Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

INV E TOR. B W a a M M ATTORNEYS.

J ENNETTE LEE, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

Application filed February 24, 1919; Serial No. 278,863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EN NETTE LEE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Therapeutic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a therapeutic apparatus, and more particularly, to a swing or hammock for the head.

In the treatment of tired head, headache, tense nerves, and like ailments, it is highly desirable to support the head with pressure relieved from the neck, and so that the head can be turned from side to side, and moved as the patient desires, thereby to relieve congestion in the blood vessels of the neck, and so forth. My invention has to do with an apparatus for supporting the head for treatment of this character.

()ne object is to provide an apparatus which provides for the easy and comfort able support of the head.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which does not require to be attached to the bed, or other support, for the patient, but which, will, without attachment to such support, maintain itself in proper operative position.

Another object is to provide a self-con tained apparatus which can be shifted about upon the support for the patient, by the patient himself.

To these ends and also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated, my invention consists in the following matters hereinafter described and claimed.

Without restricting my invention thereto, I describe it by reference to the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and, in these drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of @Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the device in use.

The frame 1, of sufficient size to comfortably receive the patients head with full freedom, say of square form about 14 inches on a side, supports the entire sling mechanism. The bottom element 2 of this frame is of suiiicient width say about 2 inches throughout its length to-furnish a proper base to adequately support the device in upright position. be constructed in any suitable manner to permit knocking down or folding up.

The sling, hammock, or swing 3 for the head is carried bythe frame 1 by the suspending elements, say cords, at, 4:, attached one to each end of the sling by the spreader elements 5, 5. Each cord 4 is carried through a cord supporting element, or pulley block 6, carried by the top element 7 of the frame, say by a hook 8, and down through a cord supporting element, or hook 9, carried by the base element 2, and is fastened to the frame in convenient position for the hand of the patient, say by winding about the cleat 10. This mode of carrying the sling 3, permits of easy adjustment of its height, it merely being necessary to disengage the cords from the cleats 10, 10 and pull up or pay out the cords l, 4:, until the sling is brought to the desired height. Also, as indicated in Fig. 3, the mode of suspension provides for the patient taking hold of the length 4 and moving the sling up and down thereby to manipulate the neck.

The sling is of such length and has its ends 3, 3 supported sufficiently far apart to insure that the sling will not tightly wrap about the sides-of the head, but will leave the sides of the head somewhat unconfined. Thispermits the patient to easily roll his head sidewise in the sling, thus to work the nerves and blood vessels, if he so desire.

The cords at, at, may be attached to the sling in any convenient manner. As here shown, the end of a cord is provided with a triangular spreader element 5 of wire, about a side 5 of which the sling is folded,

the end of the sling being stitched to the body thereof at 11. In this way the sling is kept spread.

It will be noted that with the sling .suspended as described, a back and forth motion of the sling from left to right (Fig. 1) is provided for. That is, the sling is freely suspended instead of, say, having its ends directly attached to the sides of the frame. Thus, the head can be moved from side to side relative to the frame without relative movement between the head and sling. Also, the head can be moved forward and back, as in a swing.

I would particularly call attention to the fact that the entire device is self contained does not require to be attached to the bed or other support for the patient. Although of If desired, the frame may I sufiicient size to admit the patients head, it s sullicientlv small to permit of the patient moving it around until it occupies just that position on the bed, or other support, which brings the sling to the most comfortable location for the patient. Also it will be noted that the base element 2 is broad, flat, and without legs or other projections, Which facilitates the standing of the frame upon a somewhat yielding surface as that of a mattress.

In use, the frame is merely stood up on its base 2 upon the bed, chair, cot, or what not, and the head placed in the sling, with the sling contacting the lower part of the head, rather than the neck. Then the patient moves the apparatus to find that position most comfortable, there being no clamps connecting the device to the bed-stead, which have to be manipulated, or any thing of that sort. \Vith the head supported, it may be rolled from side to side, or nodded, or swung side to side or back and forth, or lifted up and down by pulling on the length 4.. all of which movements have been found ellicaeious. or the head may be rested quietly in the sling, which resting has been found desirable. It will be understood, of course, that such movements of the head as take place do not tend to upset the device, as the base is broad and flat, and the parts above the base are relatively few and light. Moreover, the weight of the head assists in maii'itaining the frame upright.

It will be seen that I have provided a head supporting device, which is self contained, requires no attachment to the bed, permits of the desired movements-of the head, is readily adjustable to meet varying conditions and is, withal, simple and inexpensive.

\Vhat I claim is 1. in a device of the character indicated, a frame of a size suitable to receive the head and having a substantially flat base adapted to be placed upon a bed, a sling Within the frame adapted to support the back of the head of a patient lying upon the bed, cords engaging the ends of the sling and passing over guides on the frame and arranged to support the sling at such an elevation as to hold the head of the patient slightly above the lane of the bed, and an extension of one of the cords passing from its respective guide and attached to the lower part of the frame and being located in a position readily reached by the patient, whereby the patient may himself move the cord to cause vertical movement of the sling.

In a device of the character indicated, an open sling supporting frame, having a base, a top bar, and spacing means therebetween, and of a size to relatively closely receive the head and also adapting it for standing upon the bed and to be easily shifted bodily thereabout, the base of said frame being relatively broad and fiat, and being unlegged, for facilitating its positioning upon the yielding surface of the bed, a head sling carried by said frame, and means for supporting said sling, such means comprising a pair of spaced cord supporting guides carried by the top bar of said frame, a pair of spaced cord guides carried by the base of said frame, and a pair of cords each attached to an end of the sling, carried upward into connection with a guide carried by the top bar, and downward into connection with a guide carried by the bottom bar, and adapted for fastening to said frame; said guides being located in said frame to bring the downwardly extending spans of said cords close to the head and in con venient osition for manipulation by the patient when the back of the head is resting in said sling.

JENNETTE LEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, 'D. G. 

